The Legend of Zelda: Shadow's End
by TheGreatProphet283
Summary: Majora survived the end of Majora's Mask. He fled into the void between dimensions, where he gathered his power, and is now ready to strike at the unsuspecting lands of Hyrule and Termina. But will Link alone be able to save both worlds?
1. Prologue: The Legend of Majora

The start to another story.

This story is kind of a sequel to Twilight Princess, and to a lot of the other Zelda games. I'm not going to give too much away here.

While you read this beginning, find some suitable music for a myth, such as the 'Legendary Hero' from Wind Waker. It adds to the feel of the story.  
I recommend Zelda Reochestrated, Google it. They've got some good stuff, such as the 'Legendary Hero' music.

Enjoy!

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**Prologue: The Legend of Majora**

_This is but one of the legends of which people speak…_

_In the beginning, there was nothing. _

_Then, for reasons obscured by time, two beings came into existence. _

_The first was known as the __**Fierce Deity**__, and this creature knew power beyond comparison._

_The second was created as a polar opposite to this benign and benevolent creature._

_It was called __**Majora**__, and it too knew power beyond imagination._

_These two creatures became locked in a titanic conflict, the battle resounding through the void._

_After a long and tiring struggle, the Fierce Deity proved the stronger and locked Majora away in a mask, which was to be hidden in an  
alternate, desolate reality so the evil power of Majora would never be released again._

_But Majora still conspired against the Fierce Deity._

_From within the mask, Majora cursed the Fierce Deity, a final blow, with his last waking moment._

_This curse rent the Fierce Deity asunder, into the three goddesses, Din, Farore, and Nayru. _

_These goddesses then created the land of Hyrule, leaving the Golden Power before they left the realm. But Majora still lived._

_Only a malign presence inside of a mask, Majora had no power with which to influence the world around it._

_Until it was found by the __**Twili**__, an ancient race cursed by the goddesses for their wicked ways, that had been banished to the __**Twilight Realm**__._

_The Twili lifted the mask from the desolate dimension that it had been trapped in._

_They used its tremendous, evil power in their hexing rituals, bending the sadistic mind of Majora to their will and using his  
omnipotence, fuelled by their hatred of Hyrule, and brought plague and death upon the Hylians, the people of Hyrule._

_But time changed the Twili, and they grew to repent their vile actions, and sealed away the mask, so that it may never be used for such evil again._

_Majora endured, locked away in a parallel dimension to Hyrule, Termina._

_After thousands of years, Majora's Mask, as it was then known, was unsealed and taken by a Terminan, the __**Happy Mask Salesman**__,  
a collector of rare trinkets and items, sometimes of great power. _

_After a time, the Salesmen realised the evil power that lurked within the Mask, and swore to rid himself of the Mask. _

_He was attacked by a young Skull Kid, denizen of the forests of Termina and Hyrule both, who stole the Mask. _

_The Salesman was distraught, as the Skull Kid put on the mask, and was overcome by the malignant power of Majora._

_Only the timely arrival of a young Hylian named __**Link**__ saved the land of Termina from destruction at the hands of the mask. _

_Link, the Hero of Time, had somehow crossed the void between dimensions that existed between Hyrule and Termina._

_Upon his defeat of the Mask, the Salesmen asked for the Mask to be returned, claiming that the evil presence of Majora had left the Mask, destroyed for ever. _

_But he was wrong._

_Link returned the Mask, and left Termina, to return to his homeland of Hyrule, the mask of the Fierce Deity in hand. _

_This mask was the last remaining relic of the Fierce Deity, apart from the three goddesses. _

_Majora had survived his battle with Link. Link had used the Mask of the Fierce Deity in their battle, unknowingly providing the power of the  
Fierce Deity to free Majora from his prison, and allowing the Dark God to escape and grow strong once more._

_Even today, it is said that Majora bides his time, lurking in the void, gathering his strength, for he yet still longs for destruction and bloodshed. _

_One day, it is said that he will return and unleash his fury and lust for wanton destruction on the unsuspecting dimensions, destroying the universe entirely._

_But this was dismissed as a myth by the people of Hyrule and Termina alike, the threat of Majora discounted as the crazy ramblings of a mad fool._

_And so the Dark God passed into legend…_

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Next time, the story begins...

See what I mean, the music adds to it? I listened to it while I wrote this, so you know.

Please review, comment, compliment or criticise, I appreciate it all.


	2. Chapter 1: The Shattering of Twilight

And so this tale begins.

I tried to start this with a recap of the end of Twilight Princess, as accurately as I could.

Anyway, enjoy!

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**Chapter 1: The Shattering of Twilight**

_Turning to Link, I said, "I…" trailing off into silence. __I gathered the strength to speak, and said, "__Thank you... Well, the princess spoke truly: as long as that mirror's around, we could meet again..." Link gave an almost imperceptible nod, and I could see the pain in his eyes. I took a breath, and, my hands shaking, I said "Link... I... See you later...__." With this I turned away, to the Mirror, a single tear trickling down my face. I lifted one of my hands to my face, and let the tear fall onto my finger. I flicked the tear towards the Mirror and I heard Link gasp as the Mirror began to crack. I walked into the Mirror, taking my chance while I had it. I turned to face them as I felt the Mirror grip me, and I flew backwards, disintegrating into twilight particles, looking towards Link…_

_And then he was gone, and I had landed in the Twilight Realm. I looked up, tears in my eyes, and saw… the Mirror. It had shattered into hundreds of pieces which melted on the ground, destroying the last link between the Twilight Realm and Hyrule. _

Midna sat in her throne room, re-living the memory of her leaving Hyrule, leaving behind Link… She felt the room shake suddenly, before she stood up. Catching Midna off guard, the door came hurtling through the air towards her, deflected only by the glittering blue shield that she had hastily raised. Through the dirt and dust, she could see a tall figure, with a pair of ambling shapes beside it. As the smoke cleared, she could make out more detail of the figures, but not before creatures came speeding past them, darting into the throne room. With a shock, Midna remembered the invasion of Hyrule Castle and the startling similarity between then and now. But this time, Midna had the power to defend her home. With quick movements, she sent the creatures into the air and backwards, punching holes in the walls as they smashed into them with the force of bullets. After the creatures had been repelled, Midna dissipated the dust with a wide motion of her hand.

The figures that she had seen originally were now close to her throne. The ambling shapes that meandered by the person's side were all too familiar to Midna. They moved jerkily, with a sauntering movement that would strike fear into the hearts' of mortals. They were black, tentacled beings whose bodies were enveloped in a strange Twili pattern. They possessed a mask similar in appearance to a shield, concealing their face. With a gasp, Midna realised that they were Shadow Beasts, the body of Zant's former evil army. However, these were different, with special masks made of a reflective metallic substance, which bore a caduceus-like symbol and two protrusions on the top. These were no ordinary Shadow Beasts, but Zant's former honour guard, the Twilight Assassins. And the person… He was tall, wearing a long robe covered with glowing green symbols on it, the sleeves reaching down to mid-knee, with strands of fabric on the end that fluttered in the wake of Midna's destruction. He wore a grotesque metal mask, with exaggerated chameleon-like features. As she saw this, Midna knew instantly who this arrival was. "But you're dead… it can't be…" she breathed. "Zant"

Midna stood straight, facing her hated enemy, whom she had killed once already. She held out a single hand, sending bolts of twilight lightning into the Assassins, which simply glanced off of them. She then made a single motion with her hand, which would have torn any lesser being to shreds and then caused the remains to break into their component atoms. Against Zant and his creatures, it did nothing. "You survived. Are you still Ganondorf's underling? I destroyed him once, and I can do it again!" Midna then summoned the Fused Shadow from within her throne room, the shadowy helmet empowering her with its ancient magic.

She pulsated with an unholy aura, before she exploded outwards, her previously lithe body growing into the massive arachnid form of her Twilit incarnation, the massive spear that she held driving straight for Zant. Unflinchingly, Zant raised a single hand. Midna felt an incredibly powerful pressure on the spear, deflecting the deadly point from his body. Zant then made another gesture, a terrible power behind the simple movement. Midna felt the dark magic stripping away from her, the pure, unrestrained power of the Fused Shadow being leeched away. It flew out of her hand and into Zant's, where he broke it into pieces with a single crushing motion as Midna shrunk back into her ordinary form.

With a clunk, the faceplate of Zant's mask moved upwards to reveal his lips. Smirking malignantly, he whispered "As you can see, I am allied with a far greater power than Ganondorf ever was. I thought Ganondorf was a god. Now, I have the power of a true god!" With this sinister statement, Zant flicked his hand, negligently, and sent Midna flying into the wall, where she lay in the rubble, dazed. When she looked up she saw Zant stood over her, his features twisted in a sneer. "It's over for you, Midna." he said in a sinister whisper. Then, he made a single gesture at her. And that was the last thing that Midna saw.

_Link stood up, mopping sweat from his brow. It was a bright, sunny day with no clouds in the sky. All was peaceful. But something felt strange about the air, a sense of anticipation that left Link nervous and paranoid. Something was going to happen, he could feel it. He could almost feel the taste of Twilight on his tongue, a metallic taste that he had hoped never to taste again. But that was impossible. The Twilight Realm had been sealed off from Hyrule when Midna had destroyed the Mirror of Twilight. He sighed, before looking up at the sky. He gasped slightly, as he saw the sky turning yellow, and he thought he saw the black twilight particles forming in the air. He ran down towards the village from the ranch, an urgent feeling pounding through his body. Something was wrong._

_As Link arrived in Ordon Village, he slowed and started breathing heavily. He looked around, and saw the number of Twilight particles increase and the sky turning even more yellow. He felt a wrenching feeling, and then the village was covered in Twilight. Link fell to his hands and knees, the cracking and reforming of bones happening as he felt his body changing into the familiar form of a wolf, only the power of the Triforce keeping him from transforming into a spirit. A Twilight portal had opened overhead, and Shadow Beasts fell to the ground, before leaping at Wolf-Link. He jumped at one, clinging on to it and tearing at its throat with his lupine teeth, until the creature collapsed. The other two beasts attacked in tandem, but Wolf-Link smashed into them both simultaneously, killing them both. They disintegrated into Twilight particles before they flew back into the portal, and another five Shadow Beasts landed. Wolf-Link gave a low growl, before he pounced._

Link awoke with a start, looking out of his window to see the reassuring blue sky, instead of the sinister darkness of Twilight. It was impossible. The Twilight Realm was inaccessible now the Mirror of Twilight had been destroyed. He climbed out of his bed and climbed down the ladder in his house. He opened the front door and stepped out into the daylight, Epona tethered nearby. Everything was normal, no Twilight, or any monsters. He walked down the hill towards the village, leading Epona behind him. He was greeted with waves and hellos from the villagers. "There's no way that Twilight could invade again." Link told himself, attempting to calm his fears. It didn't work. He still felt that something was going to happen, a sickly feeling of anticipation rooted deep in his stomach. Something was wrong with the world, and Link needed to find out what.

In a daze, Midna shook her head slowly, groggily, as she woke up, and she immediately looked around herself, the world spinning. Then, her vision came into focus, and she could see that she was chained, inside her own dungeon. Looking up, she could see the one object of her hatred. Zant. "So, Zant. You survived. What could be your evil plan this time? Maybe, destroy the world of light, again? You know if you try that, Link would kill you!" Zant gave a sinister smile. "No, my dearest Midna." He whispered, sibilantly. "I have a far greater purpose now. I am, how would the light-dwellers put it… a new man." Midna grimaced, before she yelled, "What wannabe god are you serving this time, Zant? 'Cause I know that when Link finds out about this, he'll come right on over here, destroy you, and rip this 'god' of yours to pieces!" Zant's face was in a visage of fury. He walked over to the bars of the cell, spitting his words out vehemently. "How dare you think that one pathetic mortal could defeat the Dark God! I'll teach you respect for you betters!" Zant raised one hand, slowly, and then, suddenly, clenched his fist tightly. Midna missed a breath as her heart skipped a beat. Zant did the same again, and same happened to Midna once more. Then, Zant lifted up his hand, splaying his fingers, and Midna's screams echoed around the dungeon.

Link reined Epona to a halt as they arrived at the Ordon Spring. He dismounted slowly, wary of any enemies that may arrive. He slowed to a stop as he walked into the spring. In front of him, rising from the back of the spring, came a glowing orb of light, around which formed the ovine form of Ordona, the guardian Light Spirit of the Ordon province. "_Hero chosen by the gods… hear me now. Go forth from this place… to where the Master Sword lies… waiting for you… There you shall find the answers you seek…_" With that cryptic message, the light spirit faded, leaving Link with questions hurtling through his mind. Link sighed. Cryptic messages and riddles were everyday to him, but why could no-one ever give a straight answer? With one last look at the spring, Link trudged back towards Epona, before he pulled himself up and spurred her to a gallop, across the bridge, and into the Faron province.

Link silently cursed the riddles and mysterious messages of the spirits as he stood in the Faron woods, wondering how on earth he would get to the Sacred Grove. He heard footsteps behind him, and, with a deft, powerful motion, he spun around, pulling his sword from its sheath, sending the clang of metal on metal ringing out through the clearing. Link straightened up as he saw who had arrived. "Careful, Link." Rusl said. "What are you doing out here, anyway? Do you need to get to the Sacred Grove again? 'Cause if you do, you know that my partner is always willing to help!" Link heard a cluck from on the ground beside Rusl, and he looked down to see the shining cuckoo. He gave a quick nod of thanks to Rusl, who gave a small, negligible wave of his hand, his sign of acknowledgement. Link picked up the cuckoo and jumped off of the ledge, gliding down to the platform below.

As his feet touched the ground, Link knew that he had arrived in the forest, the directionless paths that twisted in any direction lying in front of him. But this time, instead of the Skull Kid arriving to lead him through the vegetation, all of the paths were already open and the Skull Kid was nowhere to be seen. Sighing, he drew his sword, wary of the incomprehensible nature of the forest. He then walked, cautiously, through the twisting paths, unsure of where he was going, accompanied only by the feeling that he was going in the correct direction, almost as if he was being guided. Little did he know that the triangle on his left hand was glowing slightly, pulsating with power.

After what seemed like hours of walking, Link walked into the fresh air and sun of the Sacred Grove, but he shivered, a cold wind blowing against his face. "_Hero chosen by the gods… carry on to the Master Sword…_" echoed the voice of Ordona. Link, however, was horrified by the state of the grove. The mighty statues, that had once guarded the Master Sword, were scattered, in pieces, across the clearing, torn from their plinths, as if by a mad beast. The Door of Time had been brutally, yet methodically, smashed to pieces. Link ran forwards, past the broken remains of the guardian statues, straight towards the Master Sword. As he approached the pedestal, he was glad to see that the Master Sword had been untouched. Link pulled the Ordon sword off of his back, and slipped on the sheath that had been left for the Master Sword. He reached down to the hilt, to take up the Master Sword once more.

"_Hero! Look out!_" came an ethereal voice. Link span around, picking up the Ordon sword in a flash. Next to him was the skeletal warrior that had taught him of the hidden skills, and he was engaged in a furious sword duel with a tall, powerful-looking figure. Then, he stepped into the light, and Link took a step backwards. He was wearing black-metallic armour that radiated an evil aura, his blade long, glowing with a malevolent, red colour, and he had red hair with eyes that contained an uncontrollable rage. "Ganondorf" "_Now, Hero!_" the shade yelled. "_Take up the Master Sword!_" As he yelled this, Ganondorf slipped in under his attack and gave a quick kick into the shade, sending him flying backwards. Link hesitated for a moment, and that was all that Ganondorf needed.

With a quick movement, he appeared in front of Link and brought the corrupted Sages Sword slashing into Link's side. Link caught the attack on his shield, sending him staggering backwards, before Ganondorf brought the sword in a deadly upwards motion, which Link just managed to block with the Ordon sword, deflecting his blade. Then, with a cry, the shade ran past him and barrelled into Ganondorf, thrusting his shield forwards and then slashing across Ganondorf's head with the Helm Splitter. "_Hero chosen by the gods…_" Ordona's voice echoed across the clearing. "_Pull out the Master Sword… and see the truth._" Link quickly fixed a bomb to an arrow, shooting the bomb arrow into Ganondorf, before he ran over to the Master Sword, and, with a quick tug, pulled the sword out of the pedestal. As he did, he saw Ganondorf slowly disappear, fading from view, locked in his desperate struggle with the Hero's Spirit. The whole clearing faded out of view, everything losing colour, until Link was stood alone, holding the Master Sword, in a field of whiteness.

Link was alone in his white surroundings, until he became increasingly aware of multiple presences beside him. The Light Spirits of Hyrule surrounded him: Faron, the monkey; Eldin, the owl; and Lanayru, the great sea serpent. "_O great hero chosen by the gods… we are here to show you the future… as it will currently come to pass…_" Lanayru's voice echoed in Link's mind, as the surroundings started to blur and a scene came into focus. Link could see Ordon Village, but everything was terribly wrong. Houses were burning, bodies strewn across the ground, blood spattered everywhere… Link fell to his knees as he saw the body in front of him. Ilia lay on the ground in front of him, limbs bent at unnatural angles, her eyes open, blank and unseeing. Her chest was soaked with blood from a gaping wound in her stomach.

"_Hero…_" intoned the voice of Eldin. "_This is not all…_" With his words, the scene faded again, and instead, Link found himself stood in Castle Town, the market square. And again, a scene of horror confronted him. Five gibbets occupied the centre of the square, all too familiar bodies hanging from them. Telma. Auru. Ashei. Shad. And the last… Princess Zelda. They hang limply, completely devoid of life, mutilated, like a demonstration to the people against resisting some tyrant's rule. "_And there is more for you to see, Hero…_" Then, in a blur, Link saw Zora's Domain, the Zoras all frozen once again, before he saw the Gorons at Death Mountain, fossilised alive, before the scene blurred and stopped at the City in the Sky, where the Oocca were being slowly roasted over spits, to feed monstrous bovine-headed monsters.

Finally, the scene shifted to the Twilight Realm. The Sols had been sealed away again, the light extinguished by unnatural darkness, even for the Twilight Realm. The Twili were re-cursed, Shadow Beasts prowling the shadows that had fallen across the realm of shadows. And the scene shifted for one last time. To the dungeon of the Palace of Twilight. Link felt an overwhelming rage begin to engulf him as he saw the cell in front of him. Midna was chained to the wall, numerous cuts covering her body, a collar around her neck engraved with Zant's symbol. "_Hero chosen by the gods…_" This was a new voice, not one of the Light Spirits, but one that was strangely familiar to Link. The Light Spirits looked towards this presence with shock, before something incredibly strange happened. Lanayru bowed his head, and then the other Light Spirits followed suit. Link felt a pressure on his back, trying to make him sink to one knee. But Link resisted, refusing to bow for any unknown figure. All that Link could see was a glowing white light, which slowly faded to reveal a tall woman, with long, lustrous white hair, extraordinarily pale skin, calculating yet friendly grey eyes that were vaguely reminiscent of others that Link knew, but… no, he didn't know whose. She was wearing a white robe that covered all of her body, except her hands, feet, head and neck. White sandals were on her feet, simple yet very striking when combined with the rest of her appearance.

"_It has been long since I laid eyes upon you, Hero. You will soon be ready to accept your challenge._" Her voice reverberated through the air, and Link felt the soft tones of her voice strike a chord in his memory, her name on the tip of his tongue. As one, the Light Spirits said, "_He possesses the power of the Golden Goddesses… we are sure that he is the one._" softly, in a reverential tone that surprised Link. The Light Spirits were the direct servants of the Golden Goddesses, and they were minor deities in their own right. So who could this mysterious woman be?

As if she read his thoughts, the woman said, "_Do not worry, my child. Soon all will become apparent. You have seen the future as it will currently come to pass. Now, you will return to your own time, and you shall know more when the time comes._" With these cryptic words to Link, the unearthly women faded from view, along with the Light Spirits, leaving Link alone in the unfamiliar white surroundings. He felt a tremendous force on him as his surroundings whizzed past him, and he was hurtling in some unknown direction. The whiteness that surrounded Link began to blur into colour again, and he was once more stood in the Sacred Grove, but now, he was alone, Ganondorf and the shade having both vanished.

Link slowly descended the stairs away from the Master Sword pedestal, pondering the words of the mysterious woman. She had seemed remarkably familiar to Link, but he couldn't place her whatsoever. But that future that he had seen… if it was the current future, then he… Link fought to choke back his rising emotions, the horror of the scenes that he had seen finally hitting home, with the force of a steamroller. He had to do everything that he could to prevent that bleak future coming to pass. He sheathed the Master Sword in a deft motion, before he looked up at the sky, and with a shock he noticed that it was twilight, the time between day and night. A strange calm fell across Link, even though he should fell an impending sense of danger. Twilight began his previous adventure, and it seemed that it would start a new one.

As convulsions wracked her body, Midna let her head fall limp, all barriers of resistance against Zant's power crumbling along with her will to fight. She simply felt the need to give in, and to reach oblivion. Zant gazed down at her, a cruel smile playing across his lips. "The once mighty Twilight Princess. How the mighty fall." A mocking tone infused his voice, layering on top of the sinister whisper that he spoke in normally. "I would have thought that you would have been more of a challenge, Princess." He said, spitting the words out with the sarcasm that Midna herself had once possessed, at least, before she met Link. "Now, Princess, since I have satisfied my revenge on you, who should I target next? Ah, yes. The mortal, Link, wasn't it? He shall too know the power of the Dark God, and all will tremble before his unholy might!" As he said the last words, his voice grew to a frantic, wild tone, like that of a fanatic. At these words, Midna suddenly pulled her head up in a snarl of defiance, screaming at Zant. "If you think that, usurper, then you will be sorely disappointed! Even if the entire world of light succumbs to your false power, Link will fight against you and never surrender!" Zant blurred, and he was then right in front of Midna, his yellow eyes meeting Midna's for a fleeting second. In that split second she could see Zant's true personality inside, the insane reality beneath the calm façade. Then, Zant moved faster again, his lips briefly touching Midna's cheek, before he jumped backwards and vanished in a scatter of Twilight.

Midna raised a hand to her cheek, shocked at the recent events. Zant had **kissed **her. Midna had thought of Zant as nothing more than a hated enemy – even her worstenemy, and had assumed that he saw her in the same light. But… now she wasn't so sure. Indeed, Zant having an infatuation for her would explain his extraordinary mercy for her. Midna was unsure of her conflicting emotions, not convinced that Zant's seeming ardour was a good or bad thing, or even a ploy to keep her off of her guard… No, Midna couldn't be sure of anything at all. But she knew one thing. She did not love Zant. That was as good a fact as any.

Now, however, Zant's kiss had done one thing useful, as if he had been careless. He had weakened the magical barriers that constrained Midna, his physical contact weakening the otherwise powerful magical enchantment. However, Midna was unable to move her body in any way, chained to the wall as she was. But shadow magic didn't necessarily need to be able to move to work. Midna focused her depleted magical resources in her left index finger, emitting a beam of concentrated shadow energy that snapped the manacle around her left wrist. After she did the same to the other wrist and to her ankle shackles, Midna let herself fall to the floor, the simple magic taking a surprising toll on her battle-weary body. But, with a Herculean effort, she pushed herself up, and climbed to her feet. With the Mirror of Twilight shattered and the Twilight Realm conquered by Zant again, Midna had nowhere that she could go. Even now that she had freed herself from the most basic of her imprisonment, she was still unable to escape the horror that Zant had created, in the name of his so-called "Dark God"

An overwhelming sense of defeat overcame Midna, the gravity of her situation pressing down on her. It threatened to drive her off of the edge of sanity and into the depths of depravity. Midna looked down at herself, and, seeing the sorry state of her battered body, lowered herself to the floor, the will to live deserting her. If she just ended the pain now then… As this thought crossed her mind, a voice echoed inside her head, the faintest suggestion of a great power. "_Twilight Princess…" _came a female voice that Midna could have sworn that she knew, but eluded the grasp of her memory. "_Do not concern yourself with matters as unimportant as that, Twilight Princess. I come to you for one reason, and that is for your escape from this realm of shadows." _With a start, Midna looked around to be greeted with the sight of her cell. "_I have no power over the Twilight Realm, Twilight Princess. But I can interact with you through your bond with the wielder of the Triforce of Courage. I believe that you know him as Link." _Midna stood up, absorbing the information that this strange voice was giving her. "_In order for you to escape, Twilight Princess, do not think of simply mundane physical barriers, or even bypassing them, because even if you do pass them, you will still be unable to return to the world of light." _Midna nodded, before she thought, "_How do I escape, then?" _She thought that she heard a chuckle, echoing through her mind, before the voice said, "_Well, Twilight Princess, the Mirror is not here __**now**__, so what about the past?"_

"_You mean that you can move me through time?" _Midna thought, possibilities running through her head. "_Yes, Twilight Princess. You may call me __Lyraera._" The voice said, the name striking a chord in Midna's memory, but still no memory of this strangely familiar voice. A glowing figure began to manifest in the air, until Midna could see a tall woman, with long, lustrous white hair, extraordinarily pale skin, and calculating yet friendly grey eyes. She was wearing a white robe that covered all of her body, except her hands, feet, head and neck. White sandals were on her feet, simple yet very striking when combined with the rest of her appearance. Midna could see that this was a woman of great beauty, even by the standards of the Twili. Then, the woman said, "_Do you want me to send you back in time to before you shattered the mirror, Twilight Princess?_" Midna looked at her, closely, before she spoke. "Send me to the time before the destruction of the Mirror of Twilight but after Zant's death." The woman, Lyraera, looked down at Midna with a look of benevolence on her face, a slight smile that both encouraged and worried Midna.

"_And so it shall be, Twilight Princess._" With a gesture of her hand, the world around Midna and Lyraera began to blur and change, until it re-coalesced and Midna was in the cell, but the bars were broken and smashed. She stepped out of the cell, and looked around herself, to see that Lyraera had vanished. "_Twilight Princess… to summon me, once you have reached the world of light, simply call my name._" Midna gave a quick nod, before she walked over to the steps that led out of the dungeon. As she ascended them, Midna began to formulate a plan as to what she would do. Her priority would be to find Link, after returning to the future, and from there… Midna wasn't sure of what she would do next, but she would certainly do something. As the stairs emerged at a trapdoor, Midna opened it and burst into the dark light of the Twilight Realm. She quickly wove a veil around herself, to prevent herself from being seen, as she walked through the Palace. When she arrived at the Mirror of Twilight, she let the veil drop, and she activated the arcane mirror with a single thought. As the Mirror projected the portal, Midna stepped into it, leaving her world behind once again. And entering the world of light…

* * *

Meh, I'm a little unsure of parts of that, especially the "Zant kiss" bit. I guess I threw it in to break the story up a little.

But Midna returns and that is quite a major part to the story.

Please review, comment, compliment and criticise, I appreciate it all.


	3. Chapter 2: The Rigours of Time

And here is the next installment in this story (if that wasn't obvious)!

Now, I must apologise for the delay in this chapter - I had intended to have it finished within a few weeks of the previous one, but tons of other things got in the way - exams, holiday and lots of other things. I can't guarantee that the next one will be up any sooner, but I will try my best to make sure it is.

Anyway... enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Rigours of Time**

A bright glow lit the dark night's sky, a spotlight in the air above the Arbiter's Grounds. Concentric circles of light, filled with many strange, alien symbols, projected outwards from the mirror, forming a stairway of light towards the large, black monolith, which was now etched with markings similar to those from the mirror that sat on the pedestal in front of it. The circles seemed to stretch into the stone and out like some mystical tunnel, a world of shadows and darkness barely visible at the other end. Then, hundreds of small, black, rectangular Twilight particles surged out of the portal, coalescing around the top of the ethereal staircase to the massive black rock, forming into a roughly humanoid shape

With a whirr, the concentric rings of light that shone outwards from the Mirror of Twilight began to disappear, fading back into the magical mirror. The portal faded from the empty rock, the black stone that emanated a strange yet ancient aura, which almost cast a pall over the desert. And then it was gone, the portal to the Twilight Realm closed, the world of light sealed. Midna slowly straightened up, dusting off her robes. She walked slowly down the stairs from the mirror, before she stood at the bottom, where she looked around herself. "Lyraera!" she called out, her voice echoing around the circular Mirror Chamber. She felt a presence suddenly on the edge of her mind, before it recoiled, as if it had sense that she had noticed it. A subtle light filled the Mirror Chamber, as five glowing figures materialised atop the six pillars, one left empty. "_Twilight Princess… how do you know that name?"_ came the soft voice of the Sage of Light. Midna looked up towards the Ancient Sages, before she said, "Why? I know her… from… somewhere…?" Midna frowned as her memory failed her. Where had she met this Lyraera? "_As we suspected._" said the Sage of Forest, his voice reverberating through the Mirror Chamber. "_She has been tampering in things beyond her concern again._" The Sage of Fire intoned, before the other sages all began nodding quickly, then shaking their heads in dismay.

"What do you mean, tampering in things beyond her concern? Who is this Lyraera person?" Midna asked, as the sages continued to discuss almost silently amongst themselves. However, the sages only continued to shake their heads, as if refusing to answer Midna's question. "_We cannot tell you, Twilight Princess._" The mournful tones of the Sage of Spirit spoke out across the clearing, before his sentence was continued by the Sage of Shadow. "_Lyraera is beyond us. When we sages thought ourselves strong enough to execute Ganondorf, we were wrong. And Lyraera is a thousand times more powerful than Ganondorf ever had the chance to be. But our mission is to protect the Mirror of Twilight, and so it shall be. For ever…_" The sages finally fell silent, before Midna gasped as a glowing sphere of light appeared towards the middle of the Mirror Chamber, forming into the rough shape of a woman wearing a white robe, which was familiar to Midna in a way she couldn't comprehend, as if she had known this figure and yet had forgotten her… "_Lyraera!_" exclaimed the Sages, as one, shocked by her sudden appearance, before with a sudden bow to the woman, they faded from view, back into whatever ether that they lived in. The woman looked down at Midna, slowly gliding down to the ground, where she stood in front of Midna. "_Twilight Princess… you summoned me. Shall I return you to your own time?_" Suddenly, a flash of memories came surging through Midna's mind, flashes of the hellish Twilight Realm under Zant's control. And then it hit Midna. "You!" she exclaimed, finally realising where she had seen this woman before. "You helped me escape the Twilight Realm!"

"_That I did, Princess. Now, would you like to return to your own time?_" Lyraera said, softly. Midna looked up, a sudden glint in her eyes. "No. I want answers. Just who the hell are you? And why did you help me?" Lyraera's previously benevolent face turned suddenly cold, and her eyes hardened. "_Twilight Princess, do not even think for a moment that you could comprehend the powers at work now. I helped you because that was what had to be done! You must return to your own time, or the work of a thousand centuries will be undone!_" Her voice was hard and flinty, a threatening tone underneath. Then, she quickly regained her composure, though there was still the same stone cold practicality set deep in her eyes. "_Begone with you, back to your own time!_" She called out, raising one hand. Midna magic more powerful than anything she had ever experienced, and a presence older that time itself. And then, as the world turned white, she faded out of consciousness.

"_**Zant!**__" The name echoed throughout the void, until, in a surge of Twilight particles, Zant appeared, bowing down on one knee. "Yes, master?" he said, in a subdued tone. "__**Where is the Twilight Princess?**__" Zant quickly stood up, robes fluttering with the movement. "Ah. Yes. Well, master, it seems that she… that she escaped." An ear-splitting roar rang out, and then the void around Zant transformed into an ornate throne room, with a dark and sinister air. A shadowy figure sat on a gargantuan, baroque throne, which arched upwards and seemed to go on forever. "__**She… escaped? How could you let this happen?**__" Zant looked downwards nervously. "I… I mean…" The giant figure held out a hand, cutting Zant off in the middle of his sentence. "__**I sense Lyraera's meddling in this… no matter. You have failed me, and I do not take failure kindly.**__" The figure reached down, grabbing Zant by the scruff of his neck. "__**But for now, I sense that some mercy is in order. Next time, I will not be so lenient.**__" The figure dropped Zant again, who landed deftly, before bowing, then disappearing in a swirl of Twilight particles. After Zant left, a child stepped out from behind one of the pillars in the ornate throne room. "Yes, lord? You called for me?" The figure on the throne nodded slightly, before they said, "__**I have a job for you.**__" His voice boomed throughout the throne room. "__**Zant failed me, so now it falls to you to find the Twilight Princess. Find her, and kill her.**__"_

Slowly running his hand down Epona's neck, Link slowly checked the saddlebags, for the third time. After returning from the Grove, Link had immediately begun to prepare Epona for the inevitably long journey ahead. A shining blur at the edge of his vision caught his eye, as an ethereal voice slipped into his mind. "_We meet yet again, hero chosen by the gods…_" Link whirled around, the Master Sword jumping into his hand. A golden wolf stood in front of him, which suddenly raised his hackles as Link unsheathed his sword. Then, as the wolf pounced, the world went dark and the ghostly scenery of the ether formed around Link. The golden wolf sat, before it howled, and the familiar shape of the shade came into view with a flash of light, sword held lightly in his left hand. "_There are great things afoot, my child. The world as you know it will soon be changing, in an incomprehensible and dangerous way. And it is all my fault…_" The shade trailed off, before turning away and looking off into the distance.

"_I was a fool, Link. To believe that I could destroy a god alone… My actions… they were unforgivable. But I accepted my role as the Hero of Time, and I did what I had too. In my selfishness and arrogance, I doomed all of creation… that is what is truly unforgivable. You see, I fought through time and defeated Ganon, and he was sealed away. For ever, I had hoped. And then the princess returned me to my childhood… that was one of the biggest mistakes of my long, long existence. I set off on a journey to find my friend, who through my own carelessness had been separated from me… and I arrived in another land, alone and friendless. I saved that world, too, Link. For that single act I was cursed, cursed to train my descendants for all of time. Yet I do not regret my life, only fear for the damage that my mistakes will do to your world._" A frown across his face and his brow furrowed, Link said, "Surely, by your noble actions for the good of both those lands, you should have been praised, not cursed?" A small chuckle escaped the shade, before his voice echoed once again. "_And yet you do not understand the fickle nature of the Goddesses, Link! Alas, I cannot tell you the reason for my imprisonment! The Goddesses and my own vow to them prevent me! But know this, hero. You face an evil darker than even Ganondorf and if you are not prepared, you shall die. And that would mean the end of the entirety of creation._" The shade turned to leave, but Link said, "Wait! At the Sacred Grove, the Master Sword, Ganondorf… has he somehow survived?" The shade turned back, a quizzical tilt to his head as he spoke again. "_Hero, you stabbed Ganondorf in a magical wound created by the sages with the Master Sword. There is no way that he is still alive._" As he said these final words, the shade turned away from Link and began to walk away, before disappearing into the fog. "If Ganondorf isn't alive, then what did I see? What happened?" Link's questions echoed softly, but no response came. Then, a bright light flashed and the ether swirled around Link before he was plunged into darkness.

Groggily, Link shook himself back to consciousness, the ground underneath him hard and rough. He quickly pulled himself up to his feet, sending several small creatures that had been quietly examining his seemingly lifeless body scurrying away, into the depths of the forest. Sunlight shone through the forest canopy, illuminating the clearing. Link then slowly looked around himself, taking in the surroundings, disorientating as they were after the featureless white landscape of the ether. Epona stood nearby, and a silhouette could be seen stood amongst the trees on the other side, one hand resting on the horse's flank. Link reached for the Master Sword, but relaxed when the figure moved forwards into the light, "Link." came a soft voice, as Ilia ran her hand along Epona's side, a frown on her face. "What… what are you doing here?" she said softly, concern evident in her voice. "Ilia, I… look out!"

As he yelled those words, he suddenly tore the Master Sword free of its sheath, and his shield flew into his hand, quickly pulling Ilia behind him. Several large Bullbos rampaged through the undergrowth, smashing trees to the ground behind them. They left a path of devastation in their wake as they charged towards Link, the Bulblins on their backs launching flaming arrows towards Link. The grass caught fire around him, forming a ring of flames, pinning Link, Ilia and Epona in, encircled by the dreadful Bullbos and their riders. With a deft motion, Link sheathed his sword and shield, before reaching into the 'pocket' of storage that had been created by Midna after he had turned into a wolf for the first time, drawing out the bow that he had found in the depths of the Goron Mines, as well as quickly changing his farmer's clothes into the green Hero's Clothes that the light spirits had given him. As he quickly pulled on the string, arrows flew into the Bulblins as they circled Link and Ilia, knocking them off of their Bullbo mounts' and into the fire that they had started. As they shook themselves to their feet, Link stored his bow again and pulled out the Master Sword, slashing through the hapless group of monsters. The black ichor that they had instead of blood spattered across the clearing as Link stormed through them with a grace and fluidity of movement that only a truly accomplished swordsman could hope to match. As the last Bulblin dropped to the ground, disintegrating in a cloud of unnatural smoke, Link turned, as he flicked the ichor off of his sword. But then, a loud horn could be heard, echoing through the entire forest. Link raised his sword and shield once more, as another wave of Bulblins attacked.

"Ilia!" he called. "Take Epona and ride straight to the village! Tell them to prepare for an attack!" A scream sounded behind Link as a Bulblin grabbed Ilia. The Bulblin looked on with a shocked face as Link beheaded it with one powerful strike, before pulling his sword around in a lightning fast circle to clear space around him and Ilia. Black smoke exploded around them, and Link used the opportunity to help Ilia up onto Epona. "Go!" he shouted, sending Epona galloping off, her hooves tearing through the mound of Bulblins that had been knocked to the ground. Grimly, Link began to bring his sword in an arc to strike the group of Bulblins that had tried to sneak up on him, but stopped when he saw a distinctively massive blue Bullbo coming towards him, the imposing figure of King Bulblin sat on its back, a vicious-looking axe-like weapon held tightly in one meaty hand. He reined his mount to a stop, jumping off and landing in front of Link, hundreds of Bulblin minions behind him. "We meet again." he grunted. Link grimaced, before he simply span his sword in his hand. Then, Link said, "It's certainly been a while", with a slight smile spreading across his face. "But don't you remember the outcome of our fight at Hyrule Castle?" The monster looked blankly at Link, before a smile spread across its face. "Of course." Link then smiled back, and said, "And do you really think that this time will be any different than last time?" The Bulblin king quickly took an experimental swipe with its weapon, which Link dodged with a quick backflip. "Yes." grunted the monster, with another swing of its blade. "This time, I will win!"

With a roar, he ran forwards, pressing Link backwards, sending him stumbling towards the ring of fire around the edge. The axe came up in a powerful yet inaccurate swing which Link rolled around, bringing the Master Sword in an arc up the Bulblin king's back, scoring the armour there. Link cursed as the impact jarred his hand, sending the Master Sword flying from his hands to land on the ground near the edge of the fiery arena. King Bulblin grinned, saying "And now the fight tips in my favour." Link simply shook his head quickly, before he responded. "I doubt that." With these words, Link reached into his magical 'pocket' and pulled out the weapon from inside the ruined mansion on Snowpeak. He gave the large, spiked ball a quick spin around his head before he sent it flying into the Bulblin king's face, knocking the monster down onto the ground. With a tug on the chain, the ball came flying back to Link, its immense weight landing in his hands. Link stored the chain and ball with a quick motion, and sprinted towards the Master Sword. But just as Link reached his sword, a large group of Bulblins left unnoticed in the fight with their king knocked Link away from his sword, their sheer numbers keeping him away from his sword. But then, as Link reached into his 'pocket' to get the chain and ball back, a powerful blow into his side from the Bulblin king's axe sent him flying across the clearing. A shock of pain ran up Link's side as he attempted to climb to his feet, and not for the first time Link was glad of the hauberk of chainmail underneath the green tunic given to him by the Light Spirits. As he then staggered to his feet, he could feel that at least one of his ribs had been broken, and he could feel his own laboured breathing. He looked around himself, and could see hordes of Bulblins pressing in, King Bulblin grinning as he stood in the middle, axe raised. "It seems like the human can't defeat us after all!" He raised his head and laughed, and slowly, all of the Bulblins around him joined in, sending a loud clamour across the clearing. Soon, all of the monsters fell silent, and their king looked at Link one last time. "Time to die, hero."

The axe came around in a wide arc, hurtling towards Link's unguarded form. With a speed born of practice, Link reached into his 'pocket' and pulled out his Magic Armour, and it formed around the green clothes that he wore. Link was knocked from his feet by the powerful blow, but the magical armour did its job, and protected Link from harm. But already, Link could feel his wallet lightening as the armour drained his rupees. Soon it would become useless, and he needed to act fast. He dashed forwards, towards the line of Bulblins that were between him and the Master Sword. Then, at the worst possible moment, the flow of rupees powering the Magic Armour cut out, and the armour turned dull and useless. The Bulblins sensed the weakness in Link's defence and surged forwards, sending Link crashing to the ground yet again. Quickly storing the armour back in his 'pocket', Link pulled himself up, ignoring the searing pain coming from his broken ribs. He steeled himself to use the chain and ball, until he heard a loud battle cry and a swathe of Bulblins were cut down, a tall, blonde-haired man slipping through to stand by his side, a long, elegant sword in his hand. "Hey, Link." Rusl said. "It seems like you're in a spot of bother."

"You need to get your sword back, Link." Rusl stated, with his customary bluntness. "I'll quickly run over and grab it for you." Suddenly, Rusl turned away from Link, slashing through a group of Bulblins that had been stupid enough to come too close. He then ran forwards as Link watched, massacring Bulblins left and right, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. But, just before Rusl could reach the Master Sword to return it to Link, King Bulblin attacked. He brought his axe swinging around towards Rusl in a wide arc, but Rusl had reactions born of years of training. He ducked and rolled out of the way, his sword striking out quickly, opening a shallow cut on the Bulblin king. As he circled King Bulblin, Rusl's sword flashed in the sunlight as he deflected the attacks from Bulblins all around him and opened numerous minor injuries on the Bulblin king, sending black ichor spattering over the ground as a slight hiss of smoke rose from each wound. However, the king quickly recovered and swung his axe again and Rusl only just dodged, but in his evasion he had thrown himself into the path of the Bublin king's overgrown Bullbo mount, who promptly knocked Rusl to the ground as the king himself raised his axe high above his head, clearly about to kill the blonde swordsman.

Link heard himself yell across the battle, and he tried to fight through the Bulblins, despite him being unarmed, to get to his friend. As the axe descended, time seemed to slow, towards the obviously unconscious Rusl. Suddenly, a figure seemed to appear from nowhere, stood beside Rusl and the Bulblin king, a look on his face as if he was contemplating something. Link looked around himself, and saw that everyone else had stopped moving, like they had been frozen in an instant of time. Link tried to run over to Rusl, but found he couldn't move his legs. "Who are you?" he called out to the figure near Rusl. He looked up, looking mildly surprised. "Of course." he said, in a quiet, unassuming tone. "The Triforce of Courage would have countered Lyraera's magic partially." The name seemed tantalisingly familiar, but Link couldn't place it. He called out again, repeating his question. Only then did the figure seem to notice Link's question, and said, "You will understand soon enough." Then, the figure bent down to Rusl, sparks playing over their fingers. As they touched Rusl, Link thought he saw the figure flickered momentarily. They stood up, looked over at Link again, before, with a wave of their hand, time unfroze. A Bullbo stepped in front of the figure, and after the split second when Link couldn't see the mysterious figure, he saw that the figure had disappeared. However, something else occupied Link's attention. King Bulblin's axe carved downwards and into Rusl's prone form, sending a wash of blood over the Bulblin king and the Bublins nearby, leaving Rusl on the ground, his body imagined in every gruesome detail possible.

As a wave grief and anger overcame him, Link roared at the Bulblins and their king, everything else around him blacking out as his anger focused on those who had killed his friend and mentor. His eyes flashed gold, before his broken ribs started setting and healing, a glowing triangle shining brightly on his left hand. Link didn't notice this as he ran towards the Master Sword, running through the Bulblin lines. He smashed his way through the huddle of Bulblins around the Master Sword, and quickly grabbed the sword and pulled it up in a deadly arc, destroying over twenty Bulblins in that one strike. Arrows flew at Link as he ripped through the now panicking Bulblins, the tips of the arrows sticking in Link for a few seconds before they fell out and the wounds healed themselves. Almost with a mind of its own, the Master Sword slashed, hacked, stabbed and parried the countless numbers of Bulblins surrounding Link, causing black smoke to billow everywhere as the Bulblins all fell before Link's blade. Soon, the Bulblins were fighting amongst themselves to get out of Link's way, as black ichor flew from those foolish enough to stand in his way. Link quickly dispatched the few Bulblins left between him and their king, before he launched an attack at King Bulblin, severing his weapon hand. Black ichor poured from the stump where the king's hand used to be, as the axe cluttered to the ground from his now disconnected hand, before Link struck with his sword, opening a fine gash going up the Bulblin king's chest, sending black ichor leaking out of the sides of the wound. With a grief-filled cry, he jumped high into the air, pushing off of the wounded monster. King Bulblin fell to the ground, helpless, as Link put all of his strength behind his sword and stabbed downwards as he fell. The blade stuck inside King Bulblin's chest, burying in his thick flesh all the way up to the hilt.

The Bulblin king exhaled, before he slowly pulled himself to his feet, much to Link's incredulity. Looking at the Master Sword protruding from his chest, the monster sighed. "Your friend died honourably, hero, which is more than I can say. But you know of me. I serve the strongest side. I have known no other way." Link turned to face the monster, and said, "Just who did you side with to make you come after me and my loved ones? Just who?" Completely ignoring Link's questions, the Bulblin King said, "It shall be many moons before I reform and we meet again, hero. Until then!" With these final words, the king dissipated in a cloud of black smoke, and with his defeat, his minions lost heart as Link finished off the remaining few. As he straightened up, the golden glint in his eyes vanished, and the shining triangle on his hand faded to practically nothing. Suddenly, Link felt exhaustion flood his body and he sank to the ground next to Rusl's corpse. Wearily, he pulled himself to his feet again and looked around himself. The previously green trees had been burnt terribly, the grass scorched and charred. Link heard soft footsteps and murmuring behind him, and he turned around to see Uli, Colin, Ilia and Bo, Colin holding the wooden sword that Link had given him. "Link…" Ilia's soft voice split the silence. "What… what happened?" Link could only look up at her, pain in his eyes. "The Bulblins… they…" he trailed off into silence as the few villagers there stared at him. But as Link began to explain, Uli ran over to her husband, fell to her knees and began to weep openly, and soon Colin joined her. Slowly, Bo and Ilia moved over to Rusl's body too, and joined Uli and Colin. Link watched the grieving group as inside of him, part of himself died.

Pain lanced through her entire body as Midna materialised about 20 feet up, and she made an impromptu crash landing onto the scorching hot ground, disturbing sand and sending it swirling around herself like a personal sandstorm. When she finally gathered the energy to stand, Midna staggered to her feet as every movement send a new jolt of pain through her broken and battered body. The unforgiving landscape of the Gerudo Desert surrounded her, the Arbiter's Grounds barely visible in the distance. A jutting outcrop of rock was next to her, casting a long shadow under the bright sun. But, as Midna surveyed her surroundings, she noticed the shadow of someone stood atop of the rocky cliff, a short, almost child-sized figure. Then, as if the shadow had sensed Midna watching, it jumped into the air, before the figure casting the shadow landed on the ground in front of Midna. The person was scarcely bigger than a child, with strange skin with a purplish hue and similarly coloured hair. He was wearing purple robes, with a purple hat that was startlingly similar to Link's. However, although this new arrival looked like a small boy, Midna could feel an aura of power from him that belied his size. "Who are you?" He spoke with a strange, musical quality to his voice, one that reverberated throughout the desert. "My name is Midna." she said, warily, readying herself to use magic if this child proved to by an enemy. "And what is your name?" Midna asked in response. The peculiar child tilted his head slightly, before responding. "My name is Vaati." Midna nodded, slowly, as Vaati just stood there, his expression unreadable. "Well, it has been nice meeting you, Midna. Now, I'm afraid I have to kill you."

He raised his hand as he spoke; sending a long purple stream of energy whipping towards Midna, the end of it grazing her, opening a shallow cut up one arm. Swiftly, Midna reached for her magic and sent a barrage of glowing red fireballs careening towards Vaati, who simply closed his hand into a fist, and Midna's shimmering fireballs imploded, the magic consuming itself in seconds. Another stream of purple energy surged from Vaati's still outstretched hand, but this time it met a shield that Midna hastily erected around herself. Again the purple energy cracked against the shield, and Midna was horrified to see that Vaati was slowly breaking through. Then, a final lash came, and the shield shattered, sending Midna sprawling to the ground. She reached for her magic again, only to find her resources depleted almost to exhaustion. "How the hell are you so strong? You're only a kid!" Vaati paused for a moment, and the energy that had been gathering in his hand dissipated. "You are strong yourself, Twilight Princess. I can see what Zant saw in you." As he raised his hand again, Midna spoke. "You know Zant!" Vaati smiled again, but didn't lower his outstretched hand. "Of course. Quite well actually. In fact, you might say that we work together." Suddenly, Vaati fired off another attack, the flickering fireball scorching the air as it rushed towards Midna. Midna stared at it as it flew. She was **not **about to be killed by someone that worked with Zant, let alone this little kid. But as this fuelled an overwhelming rage, she found a last dribble of magic, and, magnifying it with her anger, sent it skyward, expanding into a Twilight Portal. Vaati's attack began to blister her skin, before Midna split herself into Twilight particles and flew into the air and through the portal, away from Vaati.

Midna landed softly as she reformed, the one-use Twilight Portal in the sky dissolving instantly. Looking up, Midna was shocked to see that the time it had taken her to warp through the Twilight Portal had taken it from around noon to the dead of night; as such there were no guards stood by the gate of Hyrule Castle, despite greater crime rates at night. She slowly got to her feet, ignoring the empty sensation that having no magical resources left her with. Then, Midna felt a buzz from her surroundings; she realised that the events of the previous Twilight invasion had left a trace of magic in the air, which Midna took in, almost greedily. Using the 'stolen' magic, she quickly split into Twilight particles again, flew into the air, and moved straight through the castle wall, rematerialising in front of the door to Princess Zelda's room. Opening the door, Midna felt her weariness overcome her, and she collapsed onto the soft carpet inside. She saw the princess stood by the window, before she hurried over to Midna. Midna raised her head to look at the woman that had saved her life once before, and said, "Princess, I need your help."

_Vaati stood alone in the Gerudo Desert, the last vestiges of his battle with Midna dying away. Frustrated, he formed a ball of roiling purple energy and cast it into the ground, causing an almighty explosion in a cloud of purple smoke. When the smoke cleared, Vaati was standing amongst an enormous crater. Vaati turned around to slow, slightly sarcastic clapping behind him, Zant sat on the rocky overhang. "Well done. That was an astounding display of a childish tantrum." Zant remarked, a mocking tone in this voice. Vaati sent a small blast of magic towards him, but Zant simply vanished, reappearing behind Vaati. "Temper, temper! We wouldn't want to level this entire half of Hyrule, now would we?" Vaati simply scowled at Zant. "Come on now, there's no need for that. The master wants to see us." Zant turned and vanished in a scatter of Twilight particles. Vaati shook his head slowly, before turning and following Zant, disappearing in a gout of purple fire, leaving the desert empty. Except for one person. The woman jumped off of the jutting outcrop of rock, landing softly amongst the sand. She had golden sun-tanned skin and long, fiery red hair that lay across her shoulders. A desert-hawk was perched on her shoulder, its beady eyes surveying the devastated battlefield. The woman frowned before she bent down, running a single finger across the sand, before bringing it up to her nostrils and sniffing it gently. Then, she straightened up, and turned her head to the hawk. It quickly launched off of her shoulder, flapping its small wings keeping itself in place. "Tell the Hierarch that the Dark God has returned. Tell her that the old ones are stirring. And tell her that the Gerudo will march to war."_

* * *

This chapter was a struggle to write, but I like to think that it came out well in the end.

Again, hopefully the next chapter will be soon, but I can't guarantee anything.

Please review, comment, compliment and criticise, I appreciate it all.

Update: fixed a few things with grammar and the like.

Also, I will be moving away from this story as a primary focus. It will update occasionally as I feel  
like I need a break from my other story, which I plan on updating more frequently until it is finished.


	4. (Hiatus notice and apology)

Hey, guys. Sorry about nothing on this for ages, but I've honestly reached a point where I've realised this could be improved considerably with either **a)** a complete rewrite **or b)** radical changes to the majority of the story. Quite possibly both.

As a result, this is going to be on hiatus until I finally get around to working on it properly - I have the intention of doing so eventually, as long as stuff doesn't keep cropping up to cause me to not write, for no real good reason (as this might make you guess, I can be very good at procrastination).

Hopefully it won't be too long before I get back to working on this, but unfortunately I can't guarantee anything.

Apologies again,  
TheGreatProphet283


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